Greater New Orleans

Money a Tool and a Test

By Guest Blogger Donald Moore

“The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it” (Proverbs 10:22 NIV).

My wife says I watch too much television. I protest, but last night,
when my channel surfing landed on Wealth TV, I knew she was right.
Wealth TV—it shocked me. I remember teaching a Junior Achievement
course to eighth graders thirty years ago and the biggest question on
the minds of the students was how much I made; a future Wealth TV
viewing audience in the making.

Some years ago, a number of my professional colleagues extolled the virtues of the book, Think and GrowRich
by Napoleon Hill. I tried to read it, but each passing page made me
feel uncomfortable and eventually, with the bile rising in my throat, I
pitched it out the window.

Christians have great freedom in Christ, but Scripture says clearly that “those
who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition”
(1 Timothy 6:9).

But, you might be thinking, money is not the problem, money is
amoral—the Bible is full of men who were very rich and of good and noble
character (Abraham, Job, and Boaz, to name a few)—and you are correct.
Money is not evil, but “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Think and Grow Rich. Wealth TV. Seems to me if you think about something all the time, desiring it and imagining it, you must love it.

Money does not affect everyone the same. Some desire it intensely,
some are afraid of it, some worry over having too much and others worry
over having too little. Our great recession was in part fueled by
lenders and borrowers acting foolishly. We eagerly anticipate
retirement; commercials depict an emerald highway pointing towards a
fully funded future, advising us to be sure we know how much we need to land on easy street. Remember the farmer with the bumper crop (Luke 12:13-21)?

Experts and personalities make handsome livings by telling us how to
gain wealth, leverage debt, get out of debt, and make huge profits that
too often derive from taking advantage of someone else. Heads or tails,
the two sides of a coin are still the same coin. The desire for money
can overwhelm us regardless of our original intentions.

It’s not that I haven’t danced around the allure of money. As I read Olivia Mellan’s book Your Money Style,
I saw myself as a Money Amasser, Binger, Risk-taker, and Money Monk all
rolled into one. Each new season of my life yields new challenges.
But wrestling with my money relationship has yielded insight and
peace—something I think more people could use.

The desire for money is never good. Money makes us feel independent,
proud, loved, in-control, self-satisfied, and secure, but God believes
ascribing those emotions to money is to establish an idol over Him. God
opposes idolatry of any kind. “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves” (Psalm 127:2).

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, believed money served
three purposes: to provide for the basic needs of family, to provide
for the needs of the business (because it took care of others’ basic
needs), and for service. Wesley believed increasing income should be
reflected in our standard of giving and not in our standard of living.

Vision Foundation, Inc. in their book Riches: A Biblical Perspective,
propose a slight variation to Wesley. They teach that money serves to
provide for our basic needs and to serve others, but they add the
observation that money is useful in celebrating life—God has created
many things for us to enjoy.

As a businessman, I agree with Wesley’s instruction to take care of
our businesses. Profits are not bad, but the pursuit of profit always
carries with it accountability to God. I also believe celebrations are
good for us, but celebration activities also carry accountability.
Indulgence is not godly.

The snare of money is our thinking the amount we possess means
something about us; God does not. Rather, God asks us to be faithful
with what He has given us. Just as we are to be faithful in fidelity,
in talents, in service to others, and in becoming the man or woman God
intended for us to be, we are to be faithful with the money blessings He
provides, large or small.

We work because work is a gift of God. Celebrations are a natural
part of life; God established festivals and celebrations for the
Israelites to enjoy, John records Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding in
Cana, and Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son ends with a joyful party.
We serve others because Jesus sets our example. In all things, we are
accountable to God.

Money is a tool and a test.

Once a rich man met Jesus and heard Him say, “There is one thing you lack” (Mark 10:21). When we meet Jesus, what will He say to us?

Donald Moore

Don Moore is a professional business man. He began his career in 1980 as a CPA, and served as the CFO and CEO of public and private restaurant companies. He gained expertise in start-up, growth, and turn-around situations, and has negotiated transactions with a value in excess of $570 million over his career. He is an owner and CEO of a chain of 28 Arby's restaurants located in five different states. Don has completed a manuscript titled Carry a Godly Briefcase—The Power of God at Work in Your Business which uniquely combines theory ("what we believe") and Christian "leadership characteristics" (how a Christian business leader behaves), with ground level and practical coaching and tools that Christian business leaders can use to execute their Christian ideals and principles of faith at work. He hopes to announce the publication of Carry a Godly Briefcase soon.